Growing up I wasn’t always told how important college was, I just knew. No one in my family had gone, or at least finished, college and I was always determined to be the first. I was always different from the others in my family, so I figured I’d use this to continue the trend. I worked hard in school and by the time I was in high school I was more determined than ever to go to college and make my family proud.

However, I was not the first anymore.

When I was in high school, my mother decided she wanted to go back to college. At first, I thought she was a little crazy. College is hard enough when you’re young and fresh out of high school. My mother was taking on this responsibility while working a full-time job and taking care of me. While I may have been a teenager by this time, I was no easy child by any stretch of the imagination. Still, she persisted and found a way to get her education.

Every day I would see her come home from work and immediately begin her homework for the night. She would find time to make dinner and care for her family in the process. She was like superwoman. It’s been nearly six years in the making and now she’s back in college, having graduated with her associates degree and gone on to continue her education towards her bachelors.

My mother was always someone I looked up to. Throughout my childhood she taught me right from wrong, how to make wise choices, and what it takes to be a giving and caring wife and mother. However, through these six years I’ve learned a whole lot more from her than I ever expected to. I’ve learned what dedication towards a brighter future looks like and I’ve seen the amount of commitment it takes to get there. I’ve seen the sacrifices that have to be made and the rewards that can be gained. And even though some days were tough, I saw my mother give everything she had in order to be the best student and person she could be.

There are days that I hate that she’s in college while I am, but despite those days I’ve never been more proud of her. She’s gone the extra mile to be a good example for me throughout my life. My mother is a lot of things: she’s strong, she’s feisty, and occasionally she’s a pain in my butt…

But my mother is also my hero and I’ll be lucky if I turn out anything like her.